Tough Lovers
by queenchesh
Summary: —Rin is slowly learning not to underestimate the sanity of Ryuji Suguro. Rin/Ryuji. Three-shot.
1. when he kisses me I get that thrill

**Tough Lover**

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><p><em>"When he kisses me, I get that thrill<em>

_When he do the wiggle I won't keep still."_

Tough Lover by Etta James

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><p>Rin was never a man of many words. In most common, rational cases, not <em>poetic <em>words, but. . .okay. He had to tell someone his secret, you could keep it right? Just a secret, a trifle of one really. . .Okay, kidding, it was the True Cross gossip scoop of the year. And you—_just you_—get to hear it. Are you ready? Give him a minute to take a breath, he moves closer, and whispers this:

There was this guy in his class—_not a guy, a god, a punk rock god of glorious muscle—_that, in a way he was most unconscious of, prompted him to think these. . .pretty smoldering sexy Shakespearian mumbo jumbo.

He had denied it at first. Denied ever staring at the boy in _that way, _then had decided to bite the bullet and accept it, to himself only, of course. He was the Son of Satan, trained since birth to become a weapon, and just recently reintroduced to school at the request of his demon half-brother.

Despite the knowledge that nothing could really come from this crush; Rin indulged himself every now and again, allowing himself to dream, undisturbed and watched. . .watched Bon—_yes, the unfortunate object of his affections was Ryuji Suguro—_multi-pierced, multitalented, muscular, short tempered Ryuji "Bon" Suguro.

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><p>Name: Okumura Rin<br>Age: 15  
>Hair: Black<br>Eyes: Blue  
>Status: Youngest Son of Satan<p>

He was a demon of all things. _That _everyone knew. Since day one, since the moment he'd stepped into the cram school classroom. He remembered everyone cringing away as he entered they had been informed—_warned of impending death—_ahead of time that a young demon, the newest claimed son of Satan would be attending school. He strode into the room, his blade stored away over his shoulder and Kuro following closely at his heels, chatting up a storm.

He felt their eyes on him the moment the door opened, two exorcists stood behind him with grim expressions, they'd been his 'escorts' to the classroom on his first day and were 'certified' to monitor his progress into cram school and then regular classes.

And if that didn't scare the students anymore than they already were he'd might as well draw his sword and spell out his name with their internal organs.

. . .okay where the hell did that come from?

Either way, Mephisto's words were final. He would go to school on his whims and learn like everyone else because he wasn't progressing fast enough.

The teacher, his own twin brother Yukio, smiled gently and motioned for him to stand in front of the class and introduce himself like any normal student would. He did so right at the door. Might as well rip the bandage off quickly.

"My name is Okumura Rin," He summoned his voice to a loud volume to project his greeting. "I am a half-demon. I dislike my father and I like. . ." –_naps, cooking, eating, reading dramatic manga, rock music, training– _He couldn't get his mouth to make words. Why did he state his dislikes first? His teeth gridded. Already fucked up."My cat, Kuro."

Everyone's gaze fell to the double tailed cat beside his ankle with an upward curled tooth. Kuro smiled and gave his greeting his a immense fury of mews that Rin knew they wouldn't be able to understand, but Kuro didn't mind, he was racking up points as 'the half-demon's cute familiar'.

Well, almost everyone seemed transfixed with Kuro. A hard brown eyed glare met his azure and held with an air of utter confidence and superiority.

Perhaps that's why he was so infatuated with him: while everyone else was cautious of him Ryuji Suguro was not afraid to openly glare at the half-demon who was said to be the son of Satan.

It was a train wreck in the making.

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><p>Gym class for exorcists meant running, running away from a gigantic seven foot tall frog that if it caught them it would rip them to shreds and lay its eggs in their crucified remains. Rin was partnered with Ryuji for this 'exercise'—child abuse that wouldn't apply to them because they signed themselves up for this so they had to suck it up<em>—<em>and ran, no surprise, faster than he could. Rin was constantly looking over his shoulder, seeing the frog leap closer and closer, and then his partner who was lagging behind.

Ryuji finally snapped.

"What the fuck are you lookin' at?!"

His leg swung outward and tripped him. Rin sprawled to the ground; while in midair, he reached for something, catching the side of his attacker's head spending him flailing to the ground a little ways away. The Leaper was in front of them in a great leap, quickly recognized Rin as a demon, he instead wheeled towards Ryuji with a roar.

The teacher hesitated, Rin did not. He jumped. The Leader's jaws catching him.

"Let me go. . ." Rin whispered coldly. He locked eyes with the Leaper and bared his teeth. _Let me go. Let me go!_

The Leaper's jaws loosened and let the prince down easily. Rin place a hand on the snout of the oversized frog and patted him gently. "Bon! Are you okay?" He looked behind him where Ryuji was sitting, his friends joining his side. His brown eyes were wide with a mix of fear and shock.

His friends helped him to his feet, nodding to him in a silent _thank you. _They had grown used to having him around, but Rin was still far from having friends. He nodded to them, a whisper of a smile on his mouth. His eyes flickered to Ryuji again.

"Are you okay?" Rin asked.

". . ." He said nothing and climbed up out of the doom before the teacher could give him the say so.

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><p>"Did you learn anything new today?" Yukio would ask when he gets back to the dorm. He tosses his backpack in the hall, his blade in the corner and goes straight to the kitchen. Kuro appears from her hiding place. Ukobach greets him with a new recipe he wants to try. "I bought groceries."<p>

"Thanks bro," Rin grins. "But I could have done it myself."

Yukio shifted. "Nii-san, your probation will be up in a few months."

"The store is right next to the school." Rin cocked a brow and swooped up to grab Kurikara sword and his bag. "Besides we need ginger."

"Rin . . ." Yukio sighed. "Just. . .fine, be back in time to finish your homework."

"And cook dinner. You're a slave driver." Rin bumped shoulders with him playfully. "I'll be right back. Don't worry about it."

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><p>He'd overheard a conversation between the boys after gym.<p>

"He's scary. Did you see his eyes? They're blue like flames. . ." the bald one trailed off. He seemed _the most _terrified.

"Okumura-sensei's are the same color." The boy with the imposing glare said. "It's his strength I'm wondering about."

_My strength, eh? _

Rin looked down at his body, currently covered by only a towel having just exited the showers of the boy's changing room. Lustrous and pale, not a blemish marred his skin's creamy perfection—despite the odd numbers of fights at his older schools, most of which the boys he fought brought _knives_along with them, he always healed quickly_—_stretched fittingly over a long slender body, like a sword, and rippled at his stomach where abs were being defined and his form broadening at the shoulders. Lean, quick muscles coiled his arms and showed their advancements in sword's play. His legs were strong with harden muscle from running. His fists were fasts.

_"__You lack tact." Mephisto laughed._

The trio exited the showers and passed his locker. Rin couldn't help it; he looked up when he heard their footsteps crease by a set.

Ryuji, or Bon as his friends liked to call him, stood there. One towel around his waist, the other draped around his neck after vigorously shaking it through his damp faux-hawk that made him look like a rooster when it was gelled up and properly styled. His goatee defined the squarness of his stubborn jaw, but Rin wasn't looking at that. His gaze wavered, then ghosted, then drifted at the sight of Ryuji's exposed, more muscular chest and tanned flesh.

He was rigidwith the sudden _want _to touch him grew then and there.

His flesh was damp from showering, scented so faintly cleansed with soap he wanted to press his nose to his skin and just breathe him in. He was right there. . .ready for the picking—why else would he stand there so composed and apathetic while his own towel was slowly losing its grip on his waist._Painfully. Slow—_for a young hormone filled half-demon with too much time on his hands to think of anything rationally.

"What?!" He barked at him.

The rooster-haired boy snorted. Very snobbish of him. Like Rin wasn't worth his time.

"Nothing, halfling. Just enjoying the view. . ." He patted away after his friends and Rin stared after him, clutching his towel as heat rose to his cheeks.

_What the fuck. . .?_

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><p>One thing that never changed about Rin: he loved to get under people's skin.<p>

He gnawed on the end of his pencil, leaving uneven dents into the led. Truthfully, he'd just gotten into the habit because Ryuji hated it. He'd glared at him for a half an hour while Rin pretended not to notice, pretending to pour over his textbook and struggle with a problem. His brows would draw and his thorough chomping on the pencil would crease prior to him removing it from his mouth and with a few flicks of his wrist the responds was written. Then he'd tap the pencil on the paper, checking the answer, then return it to his mouth.

It was a great show. Did Ryuji notice? He seemed transfixed for a moment or two at a time, watching Rin's ever changing routine.

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><p>"So, Rin, how are you adjusting to your new surroundings?" Mephisto grinned toothily at him. Rin shifted in his chair. He wasn't gonna lie. He didn't like Mephisto's office, but there was cool stuff here and with the right amount of otaku gear he knew he could bend his parole to the point of snapping.<p>

"Don't your reports say that?"

"I wanted to ask you. Since the exorcists I sent to keep an eye on you have left, you've been sleeping in the classroom." Rin grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, I haven't been sleeping. Sorry 'bout that."

"No, as long as you pay attention when its test taking time, the only qualms you should have are with your brother." Mephisto snapped the file shut primly and slid it away from him. "Although you do not impress anyone with these grades. Don't you want to attend normal classes with the other students?"

"Does it matter?"

"Well, no, not to me. Hell knows I would rather have you putting in more training time with Shura, but I doubt your brother will allow it."

"Yeah,"

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><p>Rin learned not to test the patience of rich kids. Smart-ass remarks were like everyday conversation where he was from, but here it <em>pissed them off. <em>Badly.

Don't worry about him, of course. Worry about the French Ambassador's son (or a minor demon with a _very _sharp knife-like tail) that was bleeding and bruised behind a trashcan near the back of the cafeteria. Rin's fist clenched and unclenched with murderous intent, his fangs gridded and he licked at the bleeding teeth, trying with to avail to eradicate the iron and rust taste from his mouth. Soon he realized it wasn't his teeth bleeding, but his _tongue. _It was bleeding too goddamn much. He spat.

His nails broke the skin of his palms and his shoulders uncoiled; his flames died on his skin and creased against the jacket of his uniform. His mind returned to him.

"You're. . .strong. .er than I expected. . ." The demon gasped. Rin hadn't even used Kurikara. "Lord Satan will be. .glad of it, young master."

"Don't ever both me again." He muttered.

He wanted to walk away just then, all calm and cool like, but the fight was knocked out of him. Provoked onto the point of unleashing his flames? Yukio would kill him. Mephisto would throttle him—or laugh. Now then Order. The Order would _really _kill him.

He knelt down beside the boy-possessed-by-demon with a sudden feeling of empathy.

His mind swam with thoughts as he crouched there on his haunches, elbows on his knees. He let the blood fall down around him: out his mouth, down his arms, rolling off his fingers and onto the ground. His mind was jam-packed, full of thoughts and odd questions. Did people possessed dream when they were violated, their soul pushed into the furthest corner of their body? If so, what? Their lives? Their families? Could the demon violate them more and peek into those too? Someone had explained it once, it was like having your soul taken from you, crumbled up and locked away until the demon had no further need of your body. Did they remember things? Some were noted to have the ability to see demons afterward, but the fact that if they remembered anything of the demon's thought process was unheard of. Probably not. Difficult one there. . .

He heard the footfalls. They were familiar.

A gasp followed.

[_Rin!_] Kuro leapt to him and cuddled around his leg, then placed his paws on his knees and licked at his cheek to encourage an expression. [_What happened, Rin?_]

"Life. . ." he answered simply.

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><p>He wasn't always like this.<p>

He was once a happy kid, albeit with his own issues in anger and always getting into trouble. He had been a regular teenager, happy as could be with his adoptive father, Shiro, and his twin, living in a monastery and cooking dinner for a house full of bachelors.

Then demons attacked, and Shiro couldn't always make him forget everything he saw, couldn't always blind him. Rin became angry when he did. Yukio's secrets were exposed as well. He lashed out more in school, sent kids to the hospital. He grew able to fight two or more at once, he was meant to fight.

Fourteen he dug around, found a sword, broke it open. And because of it his father was dead, his brother hated him, and he had demons leaping at his back twenty-four seven.

Since then he had been the ward of his half-brother, passed between one school and another. Trained and guarded, and rumored.

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><p>He gave the teachers the tip off on the student-demon Ambassador's son and went to the boy's room to clean up, the limp in his walk healing on his way there and his blood started to clot, forming thin scabs that would smooth over too quickly. Though his body felt weighty, unevenly proportioned he fell back into a limp, the poison from the pointed tip of the demon's tail taking its toll. His body's defenses were raging. He pushed open the heavy door—to him it felt like a million pounds pushing back against his shoulder<em>—<em>and found, surprise surprise, Ryuji and his gang standing at the line of sinks of the guy's lavatory.

Brown eyes met blue.

The world melted away when concern flashed in those brown eyes. Rin flushed slightly, gripping onto the door frame for much needed support. He felt an intense sickening weakness in his knees taken off-guard by the surprise from the sudden limpness of his arms and legs.

Was he worried about him? Really? He shot himself down quickly.

No, it was probably for the other guy. Who'd worry about him?

"Are you. . .?" the bald one ventured.

"Fine," Rin wheezed.

Pushing aside all thoughts of weightless flutteriness, Rin strode over to a sink closets to the end, near the bald one, he let the water run and cupped his hands under it. The heated water and soap stung the cuts in his palms, he bared his bloody teeth. The bald one gasped and leapt away, knocking into the pink-haired one. Rin spared him not a glance and looked in the mirror. Yup, it looked like he'd eaten somebody. He let out a low oath.

He cupped his hands under the sink again, holding the water in his palms and touched his lips to the stingingly warm water. He jumped again when it touched not only the open wound in this mouth, but his stupid fucking _split lip. _He swished the water about his mouth carefully and spat it out, then repeated the process once or twice.

The last dribbles of blood and saliva hung from his lip and then gathered with the rest of the blood swirling around the sink. His life was there, in that sink, swirling and swishing around and disappearing down the drain. Steam from the water wafted in his face. He watched the last of the blood receded and spiraled.

"Uh, dude?"

"Rin?"

Suddenly he felt as though he's spinning. His grip of the sink loosens from the soap and blood.

"Whoa. . ." Arms grab his shoulders and brace against him. Rin didn't want himself to crumble, his vision went blurry and his head lulled back. He was only half aware when the arms that caught him lowered him to the ground. The large hands holding him tenderly, like he was an infant, minding his head with practiced care. "Go find Okumura-sensei." A bark-like order. He would have made a better son of Satan. Scuffling of shoes followed and the heavy door slammed, ringing his ears. They were alone. "Shit. You're bleeding out."

Ryuji's hand touched the water still running from the tap and recoiled tiny droplets splattering across him. "Hell, are you trying to burn your skin off?"

Rhetorical question. Rin made a noise.

"Stupid. . ." A warm, damp two hundred thread count towel from the counter smoothed over the corners of his mouth. He felt the strong, assured pressure of his fingers through the fabric. Half-conscious, his mind etched memory into stone of his fingers lingering and the gentle dabbing of his split lip. The towel was folded and then renewed with water, he cleansed his face and dabbed it dry.

The two said nothing for a long time; drinking in the sheer sharp intensity of their silence. The glide of Ryuji's hands and towel, the soft suppression of Rin's pleasured moans of relief.

"I'll heal."

"Shut up. Let me help."

When the towel withdrew the second time, Rin was sure his little bath was done. His head rolled around on the porcelain floors, beating back the fluorescent lights with his lashes, he made a noise and peeked his eyes open in time to see Ryuji unbuttoning the bloodstained fabric of his shirt. He wasn't sure how his hand moved so fast, but it did.

"Uh,. . .don't. . ."

He panted against the pain of fresh cool air hitting his hidden wound.

His shirt parted anyways, the gently popping to the buttons and the sickly noises of the blood sticking to his once crisp shirt echoed into his ears and a particularly hard, strangled breath exited his cracked lips. ". . .heal. . .I'll. . ." he gasped, eyes bugging in a very fish-like fashion. Rin found Ryuji's flustered look and pink dusted cheeks. They both lapsed into silence again, but unlike the first time it was awkward. A cold-warm droplet of water fell across his abdomen, he barley felt it.

"Look, you're gonna get an infection. . .if I don't. . ."

Why did he sound so unsure?

". . .suppose. . ." Rin kept his head in the uncomfortable cranked position then watched Ryuji's head bow, then felt the calm cool sensation of warm water soaking his blooded belly. He moaned out of utter bliss of his hands, Ryuji probably thoughts is was of pain, and unexpected zeal of the feeling. The muscles in his stomach tightened. A brief cocked brow from the elder cram student was given before he continued. The towel mopped over his skin, dipping into the wound and dabbling across the bookmarked hip bones jutting out of his pants that had been pulled lower.

Ryuji kept a schooled expression on his face, washing away the blood from his body and sense from his mind.

* * *

><p>His brother brought him to their dorm after a while, Ryuji was there too. Maybe. Yes, it was him.<p>

Pleasant stirrings swirled around his mind, memories of Ryuji's hands all over him. Then the water turned cold and he hadn't bothered to change it, Rin wiggled. Something wasn't right. He was about to, try to, say something. When a large heavenly warm hand pressed down on his abdomen. One moment pinning him there forever, if that's what he wanted. His fingers moved, branched and stroked. Sometimes lingering over the pinkish flesh around the stab wound.

Rin's mouth made the shape of an 'O' and groaned, pushing his body up into the touch.

With encouragement of little throaty groans, Ryuji added his other hand. Both callous, both warm. Full leaning over him.

". . .so pale. . ." he heard him mutter. His hands worked up Rin's torso. Starting at the warm confines of his shoulders bunched under the skirt, down his chest, carefully over the wound, hand lifting on that side and lightly brushing his fingers to the wound. They touched down too early and Rin cried out, a strangled moan caught between pain and arousal, not as silent as the others. Ryuji grunted and trailed his hands along his sides. Rin flipped himself around onto his side. Ryuji's hands were on his hips now and _oooh. . ._

He found his tail coiled tightly at his back.

Rin's nerves were kicking through overdrive, strangled moans and a few mutters from Ryuji he was caught between. He wanted his hands on him so _badly. _But he knew he shouldn't.

The fur of his tail felt the light brush of fingertips and then. . ._mmmh. . ._

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><p>The days that followed were awkward. Rin was haunted by dreams of his heavy touching time with Ryuji. The ghosts of his fingers were never too far behind, closely smoothing, pushing, kneading him. The pleasure of his hands and heat—hot and heavy fingers working over the material of his jeans as the owner flattened himself on Rin's back only to set his breath heavily on the half-demon's ear while his other hand fisted his tail—gave him such a high he couldn't stand it.<p>

The noises he'd made too. _Oh, God. . ._He'd practically _purred _like a _kitten. _Putty in Bon's tactfully talented hands. His was blushed and eyes half-lidded, he moaned and gasped at everything twitch, twist or curve.

It was so embarrassing, especially when his brother came bursting through the door. That was an awkward conversation he had not been looking forward to having.

Then there was that one nagging question that made him flush every time he thought about it:

How far would they have gone?

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><p>Rin went to class, (sometimes) did his homework, and played with Kuro while Yukio was using the bedroom for studying and needed silence. You-know-who kept appearing everywhere in his life, with or without friends, his penetrating stare catching him off-guard on most occasions and staring him down with the smoldering frustrated look of want. Pure and utter want.<p>

For what? The demon's slender body under his own.

Rin tried to divert his gaze on most occasions, but when the idea in the sentences above surfaced he was forced to wonder: _would I bottom willingly? Huuuh. . .gonna have ta have a long think about that. _

He was still new to this acceptance of liking guys. . .or well, just wanting a male classmate sexually.

[_Rin! Watch out!_] Kuro cried, unable to stop his large body before he crashed into him.

The young demon prince was sent sprawling backwards across the nighttime sky, a scream on his lips, he landed into the bushes of a nearby park outside the boy's dorm. Where _Ryuji _had been_secretly watching him. _He appeared from behind his station with a strange look on his face. Offering a hand, Rin took it anyway and allowed himself to be pulled from the bushes. His warm hand covering his caused his heart to wallop against his chest. Rin pulled his hand away and brushed the dirt and leaves from his body.

Kuro stood at the top of a building, clutching on to the shingles to lean over and see if his master was alright. [_Rin, are you alright? Anything broken?_]

"I'm fine Kuro. Just start heading back to the dorm."

Kuro nodded and disappeared beyond the towers of True Cross. Rin wiped at his nose. "Thanks—" Ryuji's hand reached outward, Rin tensed as he withdrew a stray leaf from his hair. The gesture was so simple, so light, it shouldn't have made any difference. He was suddenly very glad that it was nighttime now, the shadows of the world hid his blush.

"Why do you train here out in the open? It's dangerous."

"It's not training, it's playing. And it's not dangerous." Rin defended.

"Really no one notices a giant cat and a student no one ever sees jumping around the buildings at night play fighting?"

Rin blinked. "Wow, you are really taking this stalker thing to a whole new level, aren't ya?"

"I'm not stalking you!" Ryuji snapped. "I jog through here, every night."

Rin flinched. "Alright, alright, you're not a stalker. Whatever. Look I have to go."

Rin moved to step around him. He heard Ryuji's breathing hitch as if he'd been holding it and suddenly his hand closed around his wrist, Rin yelped. Looking over his shoulder he found the murderous glare only meant for a demon's face.

"What are you doing to me?"

Ryuji's words hung in the air around them with the question everyone was wondering.

_What?_ Rin stared at him; his tail flickered and danced about behind his back, seeming to wave at Ryuji in a _remember me? _fashion. Rin tugged on his wrist, but Ryuji's hold was too strong.

"Same thing you're doing to me. . ." he answered quietly, Ryuji's face was blank, shocked, then expressionless. Rin felt the heat rising in him. Flames? "C'mon, let me go." He compiled even though he wished he hadn't. Ryuji hadn't dropped the subject though, he felt jibbed.

"Listen to me, demon," Rin growled in response. Didn't he _know _his _name_? "I want to know why you're messing with my head."

"I have no reason to mess with your head."

"Hn, right. You don't need a reason. Your kind do this for sport, don't you?"

Blue eyes set to flames. "I'm not doing _anything. _I cannot place enchantments nor do I know how! You just need to leave me the _fuck _alone!" Rin turned and stomped away. Ryuji grabbed for him again and he swatted. He tried again and Rin kept swatting until Ryuji's hand clamped over his shoulder and crushed his back to his chest.

_You're a demon, _his mind urged. _Break his hold. Do it now._

"_That's _just the thing." Ryuji growled lowly in his ear, his words making Rin shiver. "I. Can't."

Rin's eyes widened when he was suddenly spun around.

* * *

><p>The kiss was rough, Rin still in an unbreakable python grip against Ryuji every turn and curve of his body pressed shamelessly to his. Teeth descended into his bottom lip and his mouth opened obediently for Ryuji's tongue. Rin was shocked and tried to fight against the foreign invader thrusted into his mouth, but Ryuji's arm had circled in an odd half-Nelson around his neck, trapping him in his own twisted tangle of passion. Every breath they took he felt against his chest, their rib cages crushed together. The kiss broke, Rin panted for breath when Ryuji dove back for more.<p>

_No! _Rin tried to scratch his way out of Ryuji's hold, but his whimpers were ignored and rough lips continued to assault the half-demon's bruising mouth. Moans echoed in Rin's throat, vibrating against Ryuji's lips and erecting a smirk from the 'bewitched' teen. Pulling up for air, their eyes met and for a fleeting moment Rin contemplated fleeing. Running far and long away from here. "Please. . ." Rin whispered.

Ignored again, Ryuji dragged his fingers through Rin's hair and pulled him back into him again.

Everything about Ryuji filled him. His unmistakable scent of incents and the forest around him clogged his nose, making him unable to think of anything over than the man with him. He felt so close, so close, so warm, falling deeply into an ocean of some long buried feeling that fluttered around Rin's belly and. . .he kissed back with just as much fever as the other boy. He moaned as hot breath rolled across his lips in the same way Ryuji's hips did his own.

* * *

><p>Rin returned to Kuro in a state of utter shock and went home and straight to bed.<p>

He fought with his brother in the morning about going to school and lost per usual.

Sitting at his desk all by himself, he felt the eyes of Ryuji boring into him. He resisted all urges to turn around and stare back.

* * *

><p>Days skipped along and Christmas vacation came along. Though people spread out and went away to visit their families. Rin found that he and Yukio weren't the only students still hanging behind. Ryuji was in the courtyard reading when Yukio invited him over for Christmas dinner.<p>

Rin was oblivious to this knowledge, however, was in the kitchen cooking up a storm singing "Someone's in the kitchen with a demon" with Ukobach and throwing occasion scrapes of meat to Kuro when Ryuji had entered the dining area they used for their meals, his elbows sat neatly on the window looking into the kitchen. Ukobach tossed Rin a tomato and checked the soup again, adding a little pepper. "Turn up the TV a little." Rin said the demon curled red tail flicker the volume button of turning up _Hell's Kitchen._

A cook named Anna was cutting a lemon on the TV, having a very serious self-centered speech. "I just think I should be getting more credit and I think the Chef knows about my talent, but why does he keep putting me down? I mean, I'm a traditional, southern bell, graceful coo—!" When the knife went down, some of the juice from the lemon squirted upward and into her eye. "Oh, shit! Fuck!"

The censor finally caught up with her mouth and Rin busted out laughing. Ukobach looked at the TV and rolled his eyes, Kuro begged for another shrimp. He heard a faint huff of laughter behind him and whipped around: finding Ryuji there, his hand on one of the biscuits he laid out of the plate to cool. Judging by his muffled laughter, he already had another in his mouth.

"Hummm, hi." He raised his hand a little.

Rin was dumbstruck, unable to speak, but Ukobach kicked right back into his 'Chef Bitch Fit' making him look even more like a tiny red stereotype devil and lunged onto the table, swatting at his hand with his tail like a whip then grabbing the steaming plate and putting it back on the kitchen island near Kuro who knew better. The entire time the little creature growled and spat in a demonic language only Rin and Kuro understood.

[_I will stuff you with a turkey!_]

With a few more lasting growls Rin spoke. "C'mon Ukobach don't be that way, he just wanted to try the biscuits." Ryuji cocked an eyebrow then Ukobach started making his throaty little scratching noises that made words.

[_Humans! No respect!_]

"They respect you. . ."

[_Don't defend him! Whose side are you on? He's trying to ruin dinner!_]

"Ukobach, you know that's not true. You made them anyway, who wouldn't want to try one? They smell great, what recipe was that?"

Ukobach flared, then stilled blushingly look at his hands. [_I found it. . .in a book. . ._]

"A cook book?" Rin questioned. "I knew you understood Japanese, but I didn't know you could read it."

The little demon nodded and proceeded to explain his days of translating human language to understand the measurements and the various recipes he'd flipped through, all the while adding more vegetables to the stew. Rin looked over his shoulder and found Ryuji. He smiled and nodded towards his helper. "This is Ukobach; he's a cooking demon that lives with us, he was a little offended that you were eating before dinner was prepared. And," he searched for something else to say. "You already know Kuro. . ." He trailed off as his familiar mewed his usual greeting and Ukobach looked back again.

[_Oh, who is he again?_]

"Oh, this is Ryuji Surguro from my school." Rin answered, Ryuji looked thoroughly surprised on how Rin said his name without blushing too much. Ukobach cocked a brow and looked to Kuro and muttered something with obscene little growls and kissy noises that made Kuro laugh and nod. Rin flared and threw a salt shaker at Ukobach head. "You finish that sentence and you'll be _praying _it was _Satan_ instead of _me_!"

Ryuji didn't have to guess what the little demons knew.

* * *

><p>Dinner had gone on with small talk and Yukio encouraged the two to talk while Kuro and Ukobach dug into their meals with equal zest. Ukobach and Kuro took two different chairs on either side of Rin, Ukobach more refine while Kuro purred with every bite. Rin's eating habits were caught roughly between the two; he saw the look of confusion in Ryuji's expression but ignored it while taking a sip of sake.<p>

Yukio sipped at his own sake while Ryuji had a can of soda set in front of him.

"You two drink. . .?" he asked from the human side of the table.

"Us four." Rin corrected. "Kuro made me a light drinker."

"You drank catnip-flavored sake." Yukio reminded.

Kuro mewed and lapped at his bowl of sake with a shot of cat nip. [_It makes everything taste better!_]

"Yukio!" Rin hissed, flushing.

Yukio's cell phone began ringing and he quickly excused himself to answer it. Rin checked twice to make sure he was gone before reaching across the table for the bottle and filled his glass and offered more to Ukobach, who declined too busy cutting his food into even tasteful squares. He lifted his glass and fingers brushed his. Rin's eyes widened to find Ryuji's fingers locked with his. Slowly, he gave a little pull and took a glass from him. He turned it, finding the exact place Rin's lips once were and took a drink, downing the entire thing.

He pulled away with a breath. Rin's eyes were locked on Ryuji's full mouth. His eyes were half-opened staring back at him.

Yukio reentered. "Sorry Rin, Suguro–san that was Shura I've got to get over to the school now." Rin gave him a skeptical look and made a snide comment that Ryuji wouldn't have understand, but made Yukio puff up then give a radiant fake smile. "You can leave the dishes in the sink and I'll do them later." If it was a mission or really important Yukio wouldn't have offered that.

"Sure, sure just don't forget your balls like you did last time."

Ryuji stared.

"You're going to play _tennis_ with Shura, right _ot__ō__to_?" Yukio rolled his eyes and gave his good-bye and apologies before leaving through the closest door with his Infinity Key.

Rin laughed. "He's going to be pissed at me later, I'm just glad you're here—" He broke himself off and diverted his gaze to Ukobach who was collecting the plates and disappearing into the kitchen. He looked to Kuro, but he'd already gone into the kitchen to finish a _Hell's Kitchen _marathon with Ukobach.

It suddenly occurred to him that they were alone.

Ryuji extended his hand with the glass, silently asking for more sake. Rin lifted the bottle and tipped it to his lips taking a small mouth full until the bottle was empty. Hands took his, replacing the bottle with a hot, wet mouth and a searching tongue. He heard a swallow and growled. That bastard was stealing _his _sake! He bought it _special_!

Rin's teeth sunk into Ryuji's lip and the older boy-man-whatever-_GOD _pulled back sharply glaring at him with fiery warmth, he fisted the material of Rin's sake stained shirt. Rin stared back in awe. The light dribble of blood flowed over both their lips, unconsciously Ryuji licked at it. Rin mirrored this action. The older boy leaned forward again catching Rin's lips in a gentler kiss that quickly picked up with the clash of teeth and tongue and the need to be closer.

* * *

><p>Rin was hazily aware of what was going on, but it felt good.<p>

The cool of the ground burning into his back once Ryuji had pulled his shirt up and over his head, forcing their lips to part briefly before they flew back together. He'd been the most happy when he'd been able to pull of Ryuji's own shirt and got to taste the tantalizing muscley flesh beneath. Every grunt and moan issued from his lips only surged him to go further. His tail coiled and uncoiled, but Ryuji caught it. Greeted it like an old friend and began to stroke it with his thumb. Rin's teeth dug in to his skin.

They both groaned and Rin lapped at then wound and they parted again. He was pushed to the floor around that time and his arms reached upward, wrapping around Ryuji's neck and pulling him down on top of him.

They breathed quickly panting. Rin's breathing picked up when Ryuji's grip tightened on his tail, their tongues met and their mouths molded together, their hands searching and feeling what had for so long been covered and concealed to them. His tail was being abused, Rin bit at one of the many piercings decorating Ryuji's ears. Find a particular cold blue and silver one he liked the best. His teeth clicked on it and gave a gentle tug, then sucked on it.

Something unraveled and Rin's eyes closed to the bliss, seeing Ryuji in his mind's eye. Tan skin flushed pink clashing with his dark hair and blonde stripe running down the middle. The gages in his ears, the stubble of a goatee on his chin ripping at him like bristles. His mouth. . .crude, full not pouty, and _talented. _His callous hands.

His. . .hands. . .Pulling Rin onto him and moaning as he withered against him. Rin had cried out and kissed feverishly back at enthusiasm that made up for his lack of experience and held on to his lover. Neither thought of Yukio or Kuro or Ukobach or any other of the cram school students.

It was just the two of them.

* * *

><p>For days afterward, Rin avoided <em>the kitchen<em> and _the chair _and most importantly his demon friends. They made remarks and teased him and demanded that he wash the floor _thoroughly. _Ryuji, however, was harder to ignore after well. . .the Kitchen Incident_. . ._he'd stuck around longer than he'd expected. He found a spare bedroom, dragging Rin in with him and they slept off their high. And in the morning. . .Rin was greeted with a smoldering kiss and something he could only describe as round two.

His brother didn't show up till late afternoon, the two paused their play as they heard the front door open and Yukio shout to the house: "Tennis ran late!" and scuffled straight into bedroom across the hall, no questions asked. He'd had a long night too.

But Ryuji kept him plenty occupied.

Rin laid there in Ryuji's arms feeling warm and protected for the first time since his Father Fujimoto's untimely death by his true father. His lover's heartbeat sounded in his chest, a thud that followed the beat of his favorite song, he sighed content and basked in Ryuji. In everything that was him like he could take it into himself. His hot, angry, confidant Ryuji.

Satan had left him uneasy, sucked the joy from his life like marrow from a bone and left him an empty shell. He'd ruined everything he'd had.

Now how long would _this_ last?

* * *

><p>School started again, everyone chatted about their vacation and a new girl, Shiemi, tentative and blonde greeted them. She jumped a little at the sight of Rin and the pink-haired boy waved her over. She took his invitation and sat at the table across from his. He explained that Rin was the son of Satan, but completely harmless. Declawed. Tamed.<p>

Rin hissed at him and Kuro hopped over to introduce himself.

"That's his cat, Blackie or whatever. . ." Izumo explained before Shiemi could pet him. Rin gridded his teeth like he might snap, already blue flames sparked at his fingertips. Say what you want about him, but Kuro had done nothing to deserve the cold shoulder. His fists clenched and he was about to turn and let them all have a piece of his mind when:

"Shut up." A new harder voice echoed and Rin turned to find Ryuji stand beside Shiemi's desk. "Hey, Kuro," He stroked under Kuro's chin, sending the little cat into a fury of purrs and a Cheshire cat grin.

"B –Bon." His friends muttered shocked and Kuro licked at his hand.

"Hey Neko, Shima how was Kyoto?" Rin stared as the Ryuji stood there completely lax to the situation and scaring everyone around him. He then addressed the girl. "Don't listen to everything they say Kuro's harmless. Rin's good too, don't listen to stupid rumors."

A furious blush spread across his face. He'd said his name. Ryuji had spoken _his name_! Up until now it had been 'halfing' or 'demon' or 'you'. Okay, Ryuji had said—_very vocallyscreamed, groaned and whispered_—his name over break when they were together. But now, hearing him say it, to the general public, to the cram school students; he felt like he might faint he just couldn't believe it! _And he was __**defending **__him!_

Rin turned back around in his chair. "H-hey, Bon where ya going?"

A bag dropped down on the side of his desk closest to the aisle. Rin jumped and looked up, meeting Ryuji's apathetic face.

What was he doing? People would ask what the hell he was going. People would question.

Ryuji raised a brow as if to ask 'Did you think I'd ignore you after all that?', but said: "Move yer shit."

Rin collected hi bag and put it to the other side of him and Ryuji sat down beside him, waiting for the lesson to begin.

* * *

><p><strong>-*Yes, <strong>**_Hell's Kitchen. _****Don't tell me you can't see that.**

**Whoo! That took half-a-day.**

**Well, there it is! I wrote it, my make-out scene with vague mentions of sex! I knew I could do it, hells yes! I've fallen in love with ****_Blue Exorcist _****and this makeshift couple. Hell, you can feel the passion. I loved writing this, its fun, it's fresh. I loved the idea. Oh, god what have I done. . .well I had fun, ha!**

**Alright, I'm going to an all guys beauty pageant now! Let the best abs win!**

**Re: best abs did not win XP I lost money with all my bets!**

**~QueenVamp**


	2. is it that moment when I find the one

**Tough Lover**

* * *

><p><em>"So I'll be holding my breath, could this be the end?<em>

_Is it that moment when I find the one that I'll spend forever with."_

Gotta Be Somebody by Nickelback

* * *

><p>Rin Okumura was the Son of Satan, elder brother of Yukio Okumura, top of every teacher's shit list, addict of cooking shows, reader of mangas, cooker of meals and lover of Ryuji Surguro.<p>

Forgive him but the latter makes his skin prickle and his stomach swirl and tie in knots that stomachs should _not _tie in.

Sure, he had been the one to provoke a tad—a lot—to the happenings of the Kitchen Incident with Ryuji and all those lusty Shakespearian mumbo jumbo was still mashed in his brain muddled his thoughts and made the more primal of his demonic instincts want to jump the bones of his fellow (sexy) classmate whenever he did anything that appealed vaguely arousing—like _running his fingers through his hair, looking at him, smiling, reading, writing, thinking, breathing—_and even that was getting a little more than annoying when he had to sit through another boorish lesson when he much rather be making out under the west stairwell with Ryuji.

Sure, he hadn't even expected the top of the class, straight laced A, rebel god of a man to even look his way—_without trying to laser holes through his cranium—_but even then the first time he touched him, kissed him, Rin hadn't expected much more. After they had sex, he hadn't expected Ryuji to stay. After break, he hadn't expected Ryuji to sit with him during class.

Rin was slowly learning not to underestimate the sanity of Ryuji Suguro.

* * *

><p>A month ago, Rin was allowed into normal classes for the next semester.<p>

He's sitting in his own little space, where he'd always have lunch, far away from everyone else where no one could pick a fight with him or any demons could really bother him. Unless they tracked him down like that measly possessed son of a bitch/rich kid/French Ambassador's son—otherwise dubbed "Jacque" for the sake of stereotyping—had. If that areshole ever came at him again, well, Rin didn't exactly know. He couldn't _really _kill him . . .

His chop sticks stilled.

. . . could he?

Well, he hadn't even liked him _before _he was possessed. Arsehole. He stole his seat and kept trying to provoke him and made platoon of comments on his poverty and some French profanities Rin hadn't fully understood since he didn't actually speak French, but he was sure they would be equal parts tool-ish and reek of douche bagedry.

_If I did kill him it would have to be clever. Maybe I give him food poisoning with some undercooked sushi or I could nudge/throw him down some stairs . . . _Squinting, Rin almost smiled in spite of himself. _Maybe he'll fall in a well! I could dig one in one night, put some leaves over it and make sure he walks over it. Who knows I might even catch Mephisto too!_

Rin laughed, out loud and carefree. Giggling until his sides hurt at the mental image of the obnoxiously pink and ridiculous principal falling in a well.

_Maybe I could even fill it with something . . . _Quickly the possible-murder choices were turning into a form of sweet and bloody revenge against his older demi-brother. _Like in that one American vampire TV show. That blonde guy fell in a well full of some plant that burned him . . . what burns pink demons?_

Drawing up blanks on any herb he probably _should _remember by now; he considers asking someone if they know.

Ryuji's face comes to mind.

* * *

><p>Ryuji—<em>the glorious god of a man—<em>had been acting strange as of late.

When they made out—under Rin's terms or his—his hands were doing far less roaming than usual. Normally, for the first couple of times, Ryuji had been _all over him _like he was going out of style while they were still new to each other—_hands gripping his hair, slipping under his shirt, diving down his pants, doing anything to make him moan—_and Rin was exhilarated at the feeling when he was pulled to the floor or pushed against and/or on the nearest available surface.

Now—_while hands still roamed and _God _it felt _good—Ryuji seemed more . . . careful. As if he was savoring each touch and imprint the feeling of his hands into Rin's pale skin.

He was doing a real bang up job.

* * *

><p>"So, how are classes?" Mephisto asked, resting his chin on his fingers. Rin raised an eyebrow at him. "What? Can I not ask my little brother about school?"<p>

"I guess, but I'm not your brother."

"Half-brother. If you want to be technical. Trust me, compared to our other siblings, I'd rather claim you."

"You're being weird."

"Your grades are improving." Mephisto summoned a stack of homework to his desk with a wave of his hand. "Not that Yukio and I aren't proud, but I was wondering what brought this upon."

Rin grinned broadly, but didn't answer.

"Well, whatever the reason; I have lifted your parole early. You may now walk about the grounds freely."

"I thought I was."

"Well, _officially._"

* * *

><p>Kuro likes Ryuji a lot, and to show it the cat curls around his legs whenever he comes to visit and yowls to steal more attention from Ryuji's magician hands than Rin gets.<p>

Quite a few times, the sithcat had unintentionally/intentionally tripped the man so when he fell, Rin met him before the floor.

After that, the whole universe seemed to be in agreement that he was the uke.

On more than one occasion, Ryuji blushed a bright and brilliant red and when Rin's strived to comment on the coloring of his face—trying to seem blasé and otherwise a demonic tease, all the while brushing his lips across his lover's and trying not to laugh at how cute it all was_—_and the blushing teen would retaliate by tickling the crap out of him until he gasped an apology.

* * *

><p>"What's that, Rin? A hickey? Who's the slut who gave it to you?" Dumbass rich kid—Jacque—began Algebra with his usual spiel on 'how-the-hell-did-he-get-here' and Rin rolled his eyes and <em>restrained <em>himself in his lone desk.

He still hadn't found a proper place for the hole yet, but he had graphs and a shovel.

And he was waiting for nightfall.

* * *

><p>"Hey," Ryuji is lying in bed with his phone in hand; the sheets are pulled up halfway around him and draping like a pair of low-rise jeans over his hips. Rin liked Ryuji in his bed, he liked his scent when it lingered and the warmth he provided. He's sprawled across the two pillows his coveted to himself and buries his nose into the scent of Ryuji like an odd sort of perfume merged from leather, textbooks, and sweat.<p>

"Hmm?" he hummed, silently plotting ways to make Ryuji drop the cell phone.

"That new horror movie you like is out . . ."

Rin immediately raised his head and leant over to Ryuji and bumped shoulders with him to look at the screen.

Ryuji snickered at this, no one ever thought he was the childishly energetic-type with all his brooding and demon-dubbed-isolating-sentence-of-silence. Whenever he got worked up about something now, Ryuji would smile, softly and sexily like he was seeing something that was for his eyes only. It almost made him blush, almost.

"Aw, cool! I want to see that!" He gushed.

Ryuji looked at him a moment and then, in a rasped voice, asked, "Do you wanna go? We could still make the premiere if we hurry . . ." He let his suggestion trail off.

Not thinking much about it, Rin rolled out of bed only to get tangled in the sheet and going sprawling to the floor—much to Ryuji's annoyance.

"Watch it! You're going to bleed all over the floor!"

Rin lunged upward, yanking up a pair of red checked boxers. "Shut it!" Then as an after note, added, "And we are _so _not making out during the movie. Don't even touch me. I want to see every minute of this."

"Fine by me . . ." Blushing, the boy threw back the sheets and stood. "Those are mine idiot!"

* * *

><p>Rin dutifully stabbed the shovel into the dirt, and then swung it over his shoulder in a mechanical motion.<p>

You'd think digging a hole would be simple, right? Buckling on with the fact that he's the _son of Satan _and he's practically a powerhouse of spiritual energy that coal tars gratify towards him like paperclips to magnets, that this would be a simply easy task to complete, right? WRONG!

It's January, it's cold outside, and although there's no snow the ground is hard beneath the metal of the shovel and Rin feels as though after hours of work, he's barely dented the surface.

It's like the Earth keeps closing back up . . .

Earth. Closing up. Spiritual Energy . . .

Wait a damn minute!

Looking up he spotted an oddly dressed, demon perched in the tree above him. His glowing blue-green eyes made stark contrast with the night, like moonshine.

Pulling the lollipop he had been lathering with his tongue from his mouth, the demon boy gave a freaky, too-wide imitation of a smile. "Hello, little brother." He greeted in somewhat shaky Japanese, but as he kept speaking he seemed to become more fluent. "Let's play shall we?"

Fighting off hobgoblins for the next hour was _not _his idea of fun.

* * *

><p>Ryuji liked to comment on things about Rin, what he liked and what annoyed him, which was fine because Rin wasn't known for his verbal filter either. So, when Ryuji started snapping at him about his slacker rate grades, messy room, and the merits of showering as opposed to bathing, Rin wasn't at all offended by his lover's complaints.<p>

In fact, Rin felt the need to retort with the mention of Ryuji's foul smelling hair gel (really it wasn't foul, but it smelled like fruit), how he hated when he had gum and didn't share (second-hand, pre-chewed gum was not his favorite, especially when it came to a battle of tongues to get it—and then there was that incident where Ryuji nearly choked), and showed him just how relaxing baths could be.

"Well?" Rin asked, gravitation towards the other teen with the murky bubble water serving as there only cover.

Ryuji flushed and buried his face in his hand and tried to look away. "You're incorrigible."

Rin grinned, the corners of his lips turning upward into his cheeks and coming out slightly lopsided, but the tell-tale gleam of his fangs made Ryuji's breathe hitch.

"What?" Rin asked, smiling pulling down over his teeth.

"I, I like your smile—your fangs, they're . . . kinda cool."

Rin stared at the boy a moment, hunching his shoulders in the water.

Sure, he would have known _by now _if Ryuji had a problem with his teeth, but the comment had heat flush up to his cheeks.

_Kinda cool . . . _that's Ryuji speak for "kinda sexy."

As blood began to run southward too, Rin continued his stalk (swim?) forward and grazed his nails along the length of Ryuji's thigh, regaining the boy's attention; Rin flashed the same toothy smile.

"Hey, do you want to see how long I can hold my breath underwater?"

"You're . . ." Ryuji seemed to catch the double-meaning to the innocent question when Rin's hand started moving again.

* * *

><p>Rin was eating lunch in his super-secret-no-one-can-find-me-ha-ha-bitches place when the window of the fifth story, leftwing attic window overlooking the quad, swings open and an very infuriated looking faux-hawk head appears through the window in a leering manner he hadn't seen for a while.<p>

Whether it be the glare, or the noise, it sent Rin's pigeons he'd been feeding soaring away into oblivion.

"_There _you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Rin's heart rate settled a little and he released the roof shingles he had been clutching for dear life and isn't surprised when their broken under his fingers and his retracting nails remain flawless. The additional demon-induced strength took some getting use too, but sometimes he forgot—_and_ _Ryuji had the claw marks, bites, and bruises to prove it—_and something ended up getting broken_. _

What did Bon want now? Usually they messed around after school—_since most freshmen tended to wonder into any unlocked or available rooms, and being found out was not on Rin's to-do list—_but a quick make-out session was a ritual between passing of regular school to cram school; just so they could have their fill of each other and could taunt and tease and seduce the other into a lust-riddled haze for class just to see who will last the longest before one of them attempts to reach under the table for the other.

"C'mon, I want you to have lunch with me."

Okay . . . that was unexpected.

"What?"

"Lunch, c'mon."

"Is that code for something? Are you into some sort of food fetish now?"

"No, just lunch."

"Uh, when did I agree to this?"

Bon pinned him with a look. "You haven't yet dumbass. Now get off the roof before you break yer neck."

Rin dutifully inched his claws back into the roof shingles and it doesn't go unnoticed by the Aria-in-training. He grabbed a fistful of Rin's jacket and shirt at the back of his neck and, like a lion cub being picked up by the scruff of his neck; he attempted to pull him through the window.

Rin then began to kick and pull and _try _to get away.

* * *

><p>Miwa and Shima hated him. (Well, you know, Satan did attack their families.)<p>

Paku and Izumo didn't want to be anywhere near him. (He wasn't known for his benevolence.)

Shiemi was scared of him. (Well . . . rumors.)

Why the _hell _was he at this fucking table?

"So . . . uh . . . Rin-san . . .?" His head turned at the sound of his name and the blonde girl flinched. "Where's, uh, Blackie . . .?"

"Kuro," he corrected softly. "His name is Kuro."

That set them off. When Shiemi jumped and started to apologize while the others glared at him (save Ryuji) and Rin's eyes widened an inch at the sight of the girl who looked near tears.

"Hey," She jumped. "I'm not mad, I was just telling you for Kuro, and he wanted you to know his real name." Trying to think of something that might calm her down he added. "He talks about you a lot, I think he likes you."

Shiemi was calm, but everyone still looked on edge.

"So . . ." Shima drawled, calling attention to himself. "Why are you sitting here?" Both Ryuji and Konekomaru kicked and swatted at him in the same instant, making the pink-haired boy jump. "What? I was just wondering! You strike me as the keep to yourself kind of guy—"

Rin stood, making them all jump again, and bowed his head. "If I'm making you uncomfortable then I'll just leave. I don't care if I have to be alone; I'm used to it by now." Then to Ryuji, "This was a bad idea."

He grabbed his lunch and went to look for a new super-secret lunch hiding spot, ignoring the disappointment lacing Ryuji's voice as he called for him.

* * *

><p>He was greeted the next day with a bag of tempura from his favorite restaurant on his desk, the period before lunch and a note that asked him if he wanted to have lunch privately on the roof.<p>

Rin felt inclined to decline and ate alone.

* * *

><p>Ryuji kept trying to get to him for the rest of the week, between exams, and classes, searched the academy grounds for him. Rin had, twice, almost been caught and retaliated by running away, and when Ryuji followed, screamed like a banshee until Ryuji tired out, or Rin found a clever place to hide.<p>

"Rin they're here!" Yukio's voice rung out.

Then he ran out of places to hide: Ryuji and the rest of his class where in his dorm, they were all being quizzed and spending the night and he was going to _die._

Ryuji knew the Okumura dorm almost better than Rin—having spent so much time there and having a photographic memory helped—so all of the rooms Rin hid in would be null until further notice of his swift, morning departure.

"Rin?! Riiiiii-iiiiiiiin!"

Why did everyone keep bringing those people to him? They didn't want to get to know him. They couldn't even stand to be near him.

And that was _fine. _He didn't _need _them. They could all go an visit his father for all he cares.

"ONII-SAN! Get _down here_!"

Maybe he should run?

Something rough and callus grabbed at his tail expertly—not the edge of the scruff or the base—but something like a warning that made him squirm and fight back a moan at the same time.

Sure enough Ryuji was standing behind him. "We need to talk."

* * *

><p>"What wrong?"<p>

"Nothing!"

"Rin, talk to me."

"There's nothin' to talk about."

"There's _plenty _to talk about."

"No."

"Why won't you talk to me?"

"Because we don't need to talk! We have sex, we make-out, and that's it! Stop acting like this is something it's not!"

"Stop acting like you don't feel something too!"

"I don't!"

* * *

><p>Ryuji's eyes were wide and slowly Rin's tail fell from his grasp and swung behind him loyally, peeking behind his waist towards Ryuji.<p>

In that moment it felt like everything in that moment was suspended in mind-air, making Rin's insides feel funny, and full of an acidic lungful of guilt.

"I see . . ."

And when it hit the ground; Rin knew he was only lying to himself.

And Ryuji was gone.

* * *

><p>Rin couldn't seem to find much joy in anything these days, even cooking reminded him of Ryuji. So he'd starve. Waste away and no one would notice and avoid the kitchen like the plague—<em>he was sure Ukobach would take good care of his brother<em>—and watched TV most of the time, until he saw movie previews. Then he just got pissed and upset all over again, so he waited for night and grabbed his shovel and headed for the boy's dormitory to keep digging that grav—he meant pit.

Aw, who was he kidding?

First, he'd bury Jacque here and then—_after a few layers of cement—_he'd bury Ryuji there too.

A grave for everyone who made him miserable.

He swore he'd kill the bastard for making him feel like this—_weak and pliable, like everything in life was meaningless now—_and after he buried him he'd be sure to plant some nice flowers. Hypoallergenic, since Ryuji tended to be allergic to the regular ones.

* * *

><p>He waited, and waited, legs tensing and heart beating like a frantic war drum.<p>

_Now! _He lunged out of the way just as Amaimon plowed into the ground right where Rin had been standing.

When the smoke, and lingering debris, cleared Rin leant over the narrow crater Amaimon—now unconscious—had crated and was pleased on the depth of it. "Thanks bro! Y'know, this was fun, let's do it again sometime, 'kay?" He called and kicked the shovel down.

Judging by the clunk it made, it landed on his head.

He turned to the illuminated windows of Mephisto's office. "How's that for tact?"

* * *

><p>Okay, he wouldn't <em>really <em>bury Ryuji in his crater. Bastard he was, he was a good boyfri—_person _and deserved better than a shallow grave that he'd have to share with Jacque. Anyway, he would not kill Ryuji, but maiming him was still an option up from grabs, right?

The stupid, stupid hot-jerk kept staring at him and staring at him and staring at him and, prickliness of being watched aside, it reminded him of before the Kitchen Incident and weeks of build up before they're first touch and go tension release in the boy's lavatory.

With little thought to the subject, Rin thought it may wind up the same way again and they'd be getting hot and heavy in a bathroom stall by the end of the week, but then the days happened. Days where Ryuji wouldn't even look at him, or would glance, or not look, or defended him with less fight, and in those days Rin felt more alone than ever.

Alone, isolated, unwanted, thrown-out, cast-aside, derailed, losing his mind; he knew those feelings well and they wrapped around him like a coat that fit so well.

But this _loneliness, _this _unwantedness, _this _isolation, _was far too much for him and left a dented and blackened cavity in Rin's chest that he couldn't begin to know how to fill.

He wanted Ryuji back—_hot, and glorious, and sun kissed, and all over him—_but he didn't know where to start with that either.

* * *

><p>"You're going to have to learn to let someone in." Yukio's words are as stark as the white walls around them, altogether unexpected and plainly said behind the otherwise normal atmosphere of the room.<p>

Rin lowers his manga.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about—"

"Just say you're sorry, nii-san." His twin still doesn't look up from his desk, but the words strike him to his core and when Rin chucks the book at the back of his head before stomping out, he swore he heard Yukio chuckle.

* * *

><p>Ryuji was wrapped in a checkered scarf and a caramel colored coat, his nose and ears were tipped red, showing that he might have been outside for a while, possibly just going back to his dorm. Rin felt his words lodge in his throat like a wad of gum, but managed to make some noise—snap a twig.<p>

Ryuji whirled around, spotting him, and relaxed, a little. "What's up?"

"I, I wanted to say something."

Brilliant, he was a real Shakespeare.

"Rin—"

"No, I—um—well, I _kinda of _knew you felt that way about me, but I guess I was just ignoring it because well . . . you scare me Ryuji." The words sounded strange in his head and more so out loud, the faux-hawk boy's face made that obvious enough and Rin began to rethink this entire intervention.

"I—scare—you?" With everyone compressed with Ryuji's confusion, Rin wanted to bash his head into a tree.

"I grew up in a monastery, okay!? With bachelors and an old man and _my brother, _I don't exactly have a good home image on love, or relationships, or anything like that. It just feels weird—well, actually, I like everything we do, but that's not the point—and I don't know what to do."

Ryuji processed this and nodded, giving Rin a chance to continue.

"So, I guess, I wanted to say that I'm sorry for freakin' out. It wasn't all you, it was everyone else, and I want to belong with them, but I feel like a really, _really _don't and _you _actually make me feel like I belong. You might actually be my best friend." Ryuji's eyebrows rose amazingly high. "And I . . . I want you." Rin felt his face turn scarlet. "Not just in a sexual way either."

Ryuji continued to stare and a feeling of dread sweltered in the pit of Rin's stomach.

"But if you don't . . . want me," _just like everyone else in the world. _"I understand and—mmph!"

In five quick steps, the gaping space between them had been bridged and Ryuji's lips were on Rin's. With the lack of contact for the past week, Rin nearly scrambled to respond to the steady, smoothness of the kiss. It was unlike the others, not heavy, not teasing, but slow and wonderful and Ryuji's tongue brushed across Rin's lip, making him groan loudly in response.

"Do you ever stop talking?" Ryuji asked.

"Hmm, kiss me again and maybe I will?" Rin shrugged and pulled the other boy into another kiss, gentler with his insistence and curled himself into his warmth.

"Aaaah!"

The two broke to find a much frazzled looking Jacque making a hasty getaway and screaming something about "his eyes, his eyes, his gorgeous eyes!" before his screams were accompanied by the snapping of branches and then the Earth swallowed the irritating French kid.

Rin's eyes widened and he bit his lips together before lunging in the air with a loud whoop. "It WORKED!"

It took Ryuji a few hours to convenience Rin to tell a teacher of his whereabouts.

* * *

><p>"How are we gonna do this . . .?" Ryuji asked, looking at a loss as their peers stared up at them standing before the class, and even Yukio looked a tad curious when they said they had an announcement, but he at least had a good idea.<p>

Rin, with as much composure and calm he could gather at the moment, took Ryuji's hand in his own and entwined their fingers and deemed it right when Ryuji curled his fingers around his knuckles and threw his boyfriend a smirk that put his fangs on display, the same smile that drove him wild.

"Like this."

And with that, Ryuji titled as if on an axis and leant down to the shorter boy just as he was moving his free hand behind his neck, twisting his fingers into the short hairs at his nape to lead him down.

Their lips met like they had a hundred times before and the surprised gasps let them know that they got the message, loud and clear.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm the freakin' Comma Queen, I know, but I think this turned out alright.<strong>

**Instead of _hours _it took _weeks _and this is the second elevation of Ryuji and Rin's relationships. Whatever, the guys at my school suck. Birthday wish! Hot guys with heart. Give me a Ryuji, please, please, please, and make him straight . . . I'd date him if he was gay. I would be his beard. **

**Birthday's on Friday! Decided to update before the festivities begin!**

**One more chapter to go~**

**Review, even if it's one word, tell me what you think~!**


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